


Shift

by yarnandtea



Series: Lyrium Song [8]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Dragon Age II - Freeform, Fenders, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-03
Updated: 2013-05-03
Packaged: 2017-12-10 06:27:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/782872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yarnandtea/pseuds/yarnandtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anders somehow always manages to miss the important stuff. But that doesn't mean he's not there to help with the aftermath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shift

Anders could hear voices as he climbed up the stairs to the room he shared with Fenris. They were quiet, but tense. He continued moving upward, listening with only half an ear. It sounded as if Isabela was visiting, and that was hardly any cause for alarm. She was over often enough, especially when Anders got very busy with the clinic and...other things. If it was anyone else, he might be jealous. But Isabela approved of their relationship, and while she hadn't stopped flirting with either of them, there never seemed to be any intent of follow-up to it.

He approached the room, thinking he would collect a kiss from Fenris and then draw himself a bath. He had been away for several days, ushering a group of recently escaped mages out of Kirkwall. He was dirty and exhausted, and as much as he wanted to see Fenris again, what he wanted even more was to sleep for the next two days. But as he reached the doorway, he paused, finally able to hear some of their conversation.

"She's probably halfway back to Tevinter by now."

"No she isn't. Merrill went after her, she's staying in the Alienage. You can probably go see her in a day or two, once you've both calmed down."

"She's staying with _Merrill_? Oh, excellent. That's just the kind of person she needs to be associating with right now, a blood mage." There was a soft smacking sound and a surprised exclamation from Fenris, followed quickly by, "You _hit_ me!"

"Too right I did. You're lucky I know what a shit day you've had or else I would have done worse."

Anders stopped in the doorway, unseen by the room's occupants. Isabela was curled up in the big chair that Fenris usually claimed for himself, while he sat on the floor, leaning up against it. He was rubbing the back of his head and looking up at her balefully. She stared down at him and arched one eyebrow.

"Merrill is _helping_ you, you dolt," Isabela chided, her voice brooking no argument. "I don't know why she would even bother, but she is. So you're going to stop being such a prat to her, or I _will_ do worse. Even if you think she hasn't earned your civility, _I_ certainly have."

"Why do I get the feeling I missed something big?" Anders smiled inwardly at the way the both of them jumped. They really hadn't known he was there. That was new.

"Oh, thank the Maker," Isabela muttered under her breath. More loudly she said, "Anders."

He nodded an acknowledgement at her and then shot a questioning look at Fenris. Fenris heaved a sigh and leaned back against the chair, resting his head on Isabela's knee. He didn't even flinch when she began stroking his hair. Anders had a hard time containing his surprise at that. Fenris must be truly upset about something to allow so much close contact, even from Isabela, with whom he was almost as comfortable as Anders.

"After you left, I received word from my sister," Fenris said quietly. "She had arrived in Kirkwall and wanted to meet with me. It did not...go well."

"Now _there’s_ an understatement," Isabela chuckled.

"Your sister!" Anders hurried across the room and dropped down next to Fenris, heedless of his own aches and weariness. "What do you mean it didn't go we--bloody void! It was a trap, wasn't it?"

"It was." Fenris nodded slightly, his somber eyes locking on Anders' as he let Anders pull him into a tight embrace. Fenris' arms snaked around Anders' back, hands clutching him tightly.

"Danarius?" Anders aimed the question at Isabela, glancing at her over Fenris' shoulder. He was barely able to voice the name above a whisper. Her answer was a grim nod.  She looked at Fenris, clearly expecting him to elaborate, and when he remained silent, she heaved a sigh before continuing.  

"Varania is, apparently, a mage," she said.

Anders pulled back a little, glancing at Fenris in shock. His sister was a mage? After every nasty thing he'd ever said about magic and mages and how they should be treated... He started to comment on the revelation but bit his tongue when he saw the wary look in his lover's eyes. Another long moment passed, and then Isabela continued.

"Apparently after Fenris escaped, Danarius took her on as an apprentice. In the extremely brief conversation we were able to have with her, she claimed she had no other choice. When Fenris contacted her, Danarius saw his chance to retrieve his wayward property." She scowled at the word, clearly not liking it.

"He was here, then?" Anders could feel the blood drain out of his face.

"He was, yes." Fenris agreed. "Now he is in the void." A ferocious smile flashed across his face and Anders felt a surprising burst of pride well up inside his chest. Even more surprising was that it was as much Justice expressing the emotion as it was himself. Justice had no more patience for slavers than Fenris.

"You killed him."

"He did," Isabela snorted. " _Then_ , he almost killed his sister, and would have if Hawke hadn't intervened."

Fenris' smile faltered.

"She sold me out to Danarius," he said flatly. "I have the right to feel betrayed."

"Maybe. But wasn't the whole point in contacting her to find out more about her? You can't do that if she's dead."

"She was apprenticed to Danarius," Fenris growled. "That tells me all I need to know about her."

"Does it?" Anders asked softly before Isabela could reply. Fenris' eyes widened and Anders hugged him gently. "You were enslaved to Danarius, and you did plenty of things in his service that you did not wish to do. Do you _know_ if she had any choice but to obey him?"

"I...do not," Fenris admitted. The look he gave Anders was one of mixed exasperation and relief.

"Well, there you go!" Isabela exclaimed in a satisfied tone. She slid off the chair, maneuvering carefully around the two men on the floor. "And I think that's my cue to leave. In a few days, if you wish to speak to her, let me know and I'll arrange it with Merrill, hmm?"

"Thank you, Isabela." Fenris said quietly.

"Of course, sweet thing." She leaned down and kissed him on the top of his head, then patted Anders on the shoulder. "Take care of him, won't you?"

"Always," Anders promised.

Isabela nodded and waved goodbye. Anders and Fenris sat in silence for a few moments, listening as Isabela made her way out of the mansion. Fenris rested his head on  Anders' chest and Anders wondered if he could get away with stroking the elf's hair as well. He decided against it after a moment's thought. Maybe another time, though.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly after a while. "Do you need healing?"

"My body is fine," Fenris said dryly, "but you may check me over to satisfy your own worries." He shot Anders a wry smile and then sat back as Anders began a perfunctory examination.

"And the rest of you?"

"I don't know," Fenris admitted with a heavy sigh. "I am...unsettled. For so long I have wanted Danarius dead, and now that he is, I don't know what to do with myself."

"You'll figure it out. If all else fails, I fear there will always be slavers in Kirkwall to hunt down."  Fenris snorted at that and allowed Anders to finish checking him over. Satisfied that Fenris was indeed hale, he pulled him back into his arms. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, love."

"I'm not," Fenris said quickly. "Danarius would have known. About us. He would have used you against me somehow."

"Hmm." Anders wasn't so sure about that, but he wasn't really in the mood to argue.

"You smell terrible," Fenris said a few minutes later. He pulled back and Anders tried not to laugh at his expression. It was terribly cute when he crinkled up his nose in that fashion. Not that Anders would ever be so foolish as to risk his life by actually saying that out loud.

"I have spent the better part of the last few days slogging through the sewers," he pointed out. "I was going to take a bath, but I got distracted by current events."

"A bath would be...nice," Fenris said, tilting his head in consideration.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" Anders laughed.

They stood and made their way into the small bathing chamber that was closest to their bedroom. It was one of the only two rooms in the house besides the bedroom that Fenris bothered to keep clean, the other being the kitchen. Anders started the water pouring, amazed as he always was by the dwarven plumbing system, and then he busied himself with undressing. He filled a bucket with warm water and grabbed a bar of soap and a washcloth, then set about wiping down the worst of the grime he had accumulated. Fenris undressed quickly and perched on the edge of the tub, watching Anders carefully.

"Do you wish to speak about it?" Anders asked once they had settled into the tub together, Fenris leaning back against his chest and cradled in between his legs.

"Not tonight," Fenris answered. "I take it your own venture went well?"

"Well enough," Anders answered in surprise. Fenris rarely asked about his work with the Mage Underground. "They are as safe as I could make them. It is up to them and the Maker as to whether or not they will stay that way."

"Hmm."

They relaxed in the warm water for a while, eventually stirring to clean themselves off. Fenris allowed Anders to soap up his back and wash his hair, and then returned the favor. They did not bother dressing once they had toweled themselves dry, instead falling into bed together. Fenris surprised Anders again by curling up around him, one leg thrown over Anders' and an arm snaked around his chest, holding him close.

He supposed that Fenris needed a bit of comfort after whatever had happened with Danarius, so he slipped an arm around the elf's waist as well, holding him as tightly as he dared. Despite sharing a bed with each other for several months, Fenris still tended to avoid cuddling. While Anders enjoyed the extra touching, it worried him as well. Still, he was unsure of what he could do beyond following Fenris' lead. Fenris did not react well when prodded for information or conversation he did not feel ready to give. So Anders held him and relaxed into the bed, listening to Fenris' breathing as it slowed and evened out.

He had thought Fenris asleep when the elf shifted on the bed, rolling on top of Anders. His eyes gleamed in the moonlight as he looked down, hands braced on Anders' shoulders as he leaned in for a kiss. It was a softer kiss than they usually shared, hesitant, questioning.

"Love?" Anders whispered.

He held himself very still, knowing full well that Fenris had to be aware of the reaction he was having to the sudden press of their bodies. Fenris shifted again, settling himself between Anders' legs, aligning their erections beside each other, and Anders gasped. Fenris leaned down and kissed him again, this time with more of the passion that Anders had grown accustomed to.

"I do not wish to fall asleep tonight with thoughts of today. Of Danarius. Or of my sister." Fenris whispered. He rolled his hips slowly, thrusting against Anders, and Anders loosed a low groan. "I want to fall asleep exhausted by _you_ , my thoughts full of us. Nothing else."

He rolled his hips again and Anders arched his back, meeting the movement, leaving Fenris the one gasping.

"Anything you want," Anders whispered back.

They moved together, thrusting against each other, their cocks rubbing together with every motion. Anders tried to keep the pace slow, wanting to make it last, but Fenris moved frantically, and he found it hard to hold himself back. His hands slid to Fenris' hips and he cried out as Fenris' grip on his shoulders tightened. He stretched his neck, bringing his lips to meet Fenris' again. When the kiss ended, his head fell back against the pillow and Fenris leaned down, moving even faster, panting against Anders' neck. Fenris uttered a feral moan into Ander's ear and his thrusts became erratic. The feel of Fenris' seed spattering his stomach was enough to finish Anders and he came as well, crying out wordlessly.

Fenris rolled off of him and flopped down beside him on the bed. His eyes were already half shut, and he panted softly. Anders propped himself up on an elbow, looking down at him with a sated smile. He started to make a flippant comment, something to commemorate their latest jump forward in intimacy. But the words died on his lips as he saw that Fenris was already fast asleep. Perhaps it was for the best. With a soft chuckle he pushed himself off the bed and padded off to the bathroom for a clean washcloth.

Whatever Fenris might have wanted tonight, Anders knew he would very much not appreciate waking to a mess in the morning.


End file.
